Thursday, 25 September 2014

Tenerife - Climbing Mount Teide

As
our second wedding anniversary was nearing I was looking for a suitable
mountain to climb. Given that we’re living in Tenerife at the moment what other
mountain could be better for the purpose than the highest point in Spain and
Europe’s highest volcano, Mount Teide? On Friday afternoon we drove up to the
Parador which is the closest hotel to the volcano therefore the perfect place
to get used to the altitude. The drive is said to be spectacular as it leads
you through Monte Esperanza however we didn’t see anything as it was all
covered in a thick layer of cloud! We were seriously worried about our hike
next day.

We
needn’t have worried because as we drove higher and higher we gradually left
the clouds behind. By the time we got there the cloud had disappeared and we
did our first walk in the area around Los Roques de García.

On
Saturday morning we got up and drove to the start of the climb to Montaña
Blanca which is not far from the Cable Car. What we didn´t realise was that
there are only about 10 spaces in the car park! We got there by 9.30 and by
then it was full. Luckily somebody was just leaving so we quickly got in.

We
followed the Nr. 7 trail which seems to be the most popular route around. The
first part was easy enough, we just followed the jeep track that gently
ascended on the side of the volcano. The
views were spectacular around us.

We
passed the ´Teide Eggs´. These huge lava rocks are volcanic ´balls´ that are
slowly rolling down the side of the volcano.

Soon
the gentle curves ended and we looked up with consternation at the next part of
the climb. While we waited for the trail runners to get down (seemed extremely
dangerous!) we prepared ourselves for the steep zigzag route that wound its way
up. Couple that with the fact that thanks to the altitude you don´t get your
usual amount of oxygen and suddenly the speed of the walk slows down
significantly. We took quite a lot of breather stops.

This
part ends at 3260m at the aptly named Refugio Altavista (High View) where we
took shelter from the wind and had a few minutes break while munching on a
cereal bar. It is possible to sleep over here but it is essential to reserve.
It is managed by the same company as the Cable Car. Check out this website for
the details, complete with a webcam of the crater.

From
here our map showed us a suspiciously straight line. Yup, the route was
straight. Straight up! It seriously felt like a trudge but with every step we
were closer to the viewpoint. Luckily this part is quite short so soon we were
having our lunch at the mirador on 3550m looking up at the last bit of the
climb.

Unfortunately
it is not possible to go all the way up to the crater for everybody, only 50
permits are released per day. We didn´t want to reserve it too far in advance
in case the weather turns bad but it also meant that we missed our chance and
couldn´t do the last bit. You can reserve yours here. Apparently you only need a permit from 9 in the
morning so if you sleep in the Refugio you have a chance to make it up before.

After
our lunch we slowly made our way to the cable car to buy our tickets. While we
were waiting in the line we were amazed to see how many tourists come up here
right from the beach wearing flip-flops and bikinis under their summer tops.
People, you’re up at 3550m! It’s cold at this altitude!

While
slowly riding the cable car down we looked around once more and vowed that
we’ll be back, next time with a permit!

There
are many websites and blogs dedicated to this route. I found this website quite
good and detailed. It’s in Spanish but with the help of Google Translator I’m
sure you can get the gist of it.